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With a fast-growing national footprint and strong community ties, Chicken Salad Chick needed a loyalty experience as friendly and scalable as their brand.
“We’re excited to start phasing more stuff in. We’ve partnered with Marigold to do test-and-learn strategies so we can keep evolving.”
Chicken Salad Chick had an established loyalty program, but it was basic, inflexible, and hard to measure. With a lean marketing team and 300+ locations, they needed a scalable platform that could boost engagement, provide actionable insights, and reflect the brand’s personality without adding operational burden.
In October 2024, they launched a new loyalty program powered by Marigold. The rollout included branded menu-item rewards to reinforce craveability, a simple user experience with clear value for every member, real-time reporting to track behaviors, and team training across all restaurants to make onboarding seamless.
In just six months, Chicken Salad Chick grew to over 600,000 active members, more than five times the previous program’s annual total. Franchise teams now have visibility into local guest behaviors, while members who redeem menu-based rewards are visiting more often and spending more, driving measurable ROI from loyalty.
Chicken Salad Chick had an established loyalty program, but it was basic, inflexible, and difficult to measure. The marketing team recognized that they were missing opportunities to convert guest enthusiasm into ongoing engagement and measurable impact.
“We know guests love us, we know they love to earn points, but we never really had great analytics or insights into it.”
—Marie Bishop, Digital Marketing Manager at Chicken Salad Chick.
As a fast-growing brand with a lean team, they needed a platform that could move as quickly as they did and a partner who could help them think strategically about the guest experience from day one.
In October 2024, Chicken Salad Chick launched a new loyalty program powered by Marigold. The goals: improve flexibility, boost guest engagement, and bring the brand’s personality into every interaction.
Key tactics included:
“We transitioned not just because we needed new tech, but for better flexibility, better experience, and actionable insights. The platform is very marketer-friendly. It’s easy for us to execute with a small team.”
—Marie Bishop, Digital Marketing Manager at Chicken Salad Chick.
Just as important was the internal rollout. The team trained staff across 300 locations to support guests and bring loyalty to life at the register, making the experience feel local and human.
In just six months, Chicken Salad Chick grew to over 600,000 active loyalty members—more than five times the number their previous program had achieved in an entire year. More importantly, the new platform is already proving its business impact.
Guests who redeem menu-based rewards are visiting more often and spending more than non-members, directly increasing revenue from loyalty-driven purchases. And with fewer blanket discounts and more targeted offers, the team is seeing smarter, more efficient spend on promotions.
“We can now speak to the value of the program. We’ve learned so much about our guest behavior and we’re using that insight to drive real impact.”
—Marie Bishop, Digital Marketing Manager at Chicken Salad Chick.
Franchise teams also now have visibility into local loyalty behaviors, giving them the tools to recognize top guests, drive repeat visits, and strengthen community ties that boost both customer retention and lifetime value.
With a strong foundation in place, Chicken Salad Chick is now piloting gamified elements and segmentation strategies through test-and-learn rollouts designed to drive frequency without overwhelming guests or overcomplicating the experience.
“We’re excited to start phasing more stuff in,” said Marie. “We’ve partnered with Marigold to do test-and-learn strategies so we can keep evolving.”
With Marigold, Chicken Salad Chick reimagined what loyalty could look like for a modern QSR brand. From branded rewards to scalable strategy, the platform helps the team build trust, deepen guest relationships, and show real results without adding operational burden.
Marigold’s loyalty solution is built for flexibility, speed, and impact so marketers like Marie can focus on what matters most: turning first-time guests into lifelong fans.
